Middletown Police Officer Demoted, Suspended

MIDDLETOWN — — A decorated police lieutenant has been demoted to patrol and suspended for 30 days without pay for inappropriate conduct.

Officer Christopher Lavoie, 38, is a 15-year veteran of the department. Mayor Daniel Drew on Friday declined to specify whether the discipline is related to on-duty or off-duty conduct.

The city would not release a copy of the completed internal affairs investigation in the case. City General Counsel Brigham Smith said the city withheld the report for several reasons, including because its disclosure would violate Lavoie's privacy.

According to documents released by the police department on Friday as part of a freedom of information request from The Courant, Lavoie and the city signed an agreement April 16 in which Lavoie agreed to be demoted instead of being fired.

"Lavoie understands and agrees that this Agreement is his last chance to remain employed by the City of Middletown. The recurrence of inappropriate behavior or conduct … will result in his immediate termination without the right to a hearing or prior notice," the agreement says.

The department said Lavoie is expected to be back at work on May 27. Lavoie could not be reached for comment Friday.

According to the documents, the department began investigating Lavoie's conduct in November 2012, "to determine whether Lavoie engaged in appropriate conduct" during a meeting with Chief William McKenna in September and in subsequent meetings with the personnel department.

An internal affairs investigation was completed in March. The agreement says the internal affairs report determined Lavoie had violated several department policies.

Lavoie was also disciplined in 2008 because of three minor on-duty crashes spanning a three-year period, and had to attend a driver training course.

He has also received numerous commendations and awards for his work with the SWAT team, the street crime unit and the narcotics division.

Commendations were related to his work responding to several shootings in the city and in trying to rescue a suicidal citizen threatening to jump off the Arrigoni Bridge, among others.

Lavoie was promoted from detective to sergeant in 2006, and was promoted to lieutenant in 2010. He was a K9 officer and a firearms instructor, and was supervisor of the street crime unit.